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Now there is an app for that
4/03/2010 |
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Dear Subscriber
What a great month March was!
Welcome to April and welcome to the future. The Albany expo was a total success. We had a great location. We met some great new friends, and got to hang out with some old friends too. See below for more details.
The two cover stories (NWHS and Horses) regarding the iHorseTrainer got a lot of attention. As of April 1st, we hit the 1,000 download mark and the app will no longer be offered for free. The new price structure will be offered for $9.99 for the down load / $1.99 each video with a total price of $49.99 including 24 videos with a viewing time of over 2 hours.
"Trainer on Retainer" DVDs, books, and clinics are a thing of the past. They are ineffective money wasting aids. Where are you DVDs, and books right now, collecting dust? That's my point. Even in a down economy, Randy Byers Horsemanship is continuing to roll out new innovative effective teaching aids that are practical. As of this month, Randy is introducing an online video coaching program called iVideoTrainer along with a membership service called Trainer on Retainer. See below for more details.
Again innovation, innovation, innovation! iClassRoom at face book, is becoming a big success.. We are approaching 4,000 fans on Randy Byers Horsemanship Fan Page, with almost 5,000 on the friends page on facebook. Take a look below at some of the topics that have been covered.
Don't forget, Randy has plans for two more expos and a clinic in NY later this month and one in Richland Washington on Mothers day. See below for details.
We have a new theme this year!
"Raise Your Expectations"
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Become a Fan. Now 3,777 fans and counting
We have started an online Equine Class at Face Book called iClassRoom. We have added 1,000 fans since last month. Each day Randy asks a question and will give the class time for the fans to voice their answers or opinions to the question. At the end of the day, Randy will post a commentary.
We now have 36 topics to choose from. Subjects have included:
Randy Byers Horsemanship:
Class! What is a training gadget? "I was always taught if you can't train them without the use of gadgets, then you shouldn't be training them at all". What does this statement mean? Before you answer, look at all the show horses and disciplines in the world. Do you think that we can just teach a horse Grand Prix and reining horses with just a halter / lead rope and a big blue beach ball?
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Mary Kitzmiller:
Well I don't think its so black and white. In some people's minds a snaffle bit is a 'gadget' One school in russia doesn't even like to use halters. I always thought draws reins were 'gadgets' that should never be used in training and if you are any kind of horseman you shouldn't use em. And, while they are often abused, I find them useful to teach some of my reiners how to stay in frame for flying lead changes
Amy Marshall-Jones:
In the right hands, gadgets can be quite beneficial. There are training aides used in a variety of sports. If the "athlete" is naturally gifted/talented... less aides are needed... hence the "in the right hands", people can really enhance natural ability... in the wrong hands... people can really damage. I think we need to know ourselves, and our animals to work up to the best potential and skill we can
Candy Walker:
I didn't really think about this until now, but almost anything other than standard tack could be considered a "gadget"....but...I think we've learned so much about how horses learn and communicate that whatever helps a particular horse learn should not be out of bounds. I know trainers that only use standard tack to start young horses and then have experienced trainers that use all the bells and whistles (literally) on their young horses. Who has more success...I don't have the answer to that one, but both are neither correct or incorrect in their methods. If it works for them and the horses they work with, and the results they want are achieved, all methods are correct.
Randy Byers Horsemanship:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimmick
In marketing language, a gimmick is a quirky feature that distinguishes a product or service without adding any obvious function or value. Thus, a gimmick sells solely on the basis of distinctiveness and may not appeal to the more savvy or shrewd customer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadget
A gadget is a small[1] technological object (such as a device or an appliance) that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably[citation needed] considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention. Gadgets are sometimes also referred to as gizmos.
Do you guys think................. More to follow at:
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"Trainer on Retainer"
"What is iHorseTrainer?" Video coaching is not a new concept, but Randy Byers is now offering you the chance to have someone give you confidence, validation, and a critical eye to see if you can make improvements. This concept is still being tested and refined. Randy will be offering this service through the month of April at no charge for bata testing only. As soon as the iVideoTrainer has been perfected (this is the actual video that is sent to you), Randy will roll out a new program called "Trainer on Retainer" as a membership service. The exact details of this new program will follow next month.
What is "Trainer on Retainer?"
Think back to all the DVDs books, and clinics you have paid for. How much further along are you? Books and DVDs do not give you that one-on-one validation that you need. The basic concept is like having a trainer on call. Anytime you need help you can retain the trainer.
 Most club memberships are one way, meaning you pay the membership fee and they send you a monthly newsletter and DVD to review. Not this program! This works in reverse. "YOU" will send in "YOUR" videos to have them reviewed by "US". Once your video is reviewed, we send it back for you to use. Since this is a paid membership, the videos will be far more detail than the below examples. This will help build your confidence so you will not have self-doubt. As Randy Byers' video library grows, we can edit your video with compares clips to see how the exercise compare with yours. Due to the amount of time to edit videos, this membership is limited to 200 members and is first come first serve. There will be two levels of memberships limited (200) and unlimited. More details next month.
Below are some guidelines and completed project examples of what we are doing.. As you can see, this project is in refinement. The first video is the latest version of iHorseTrainer.
Video Guidelines:
 Post comments about your video. When you submit a video you will have an opportunity to post comments and questions regarding your video submission. Your comment will need be included on your email and is intended to help us provide you with the best information possible for you and your horse.
Short videos are better. Through careful study we have found that videos shorter than 3 minute are superior in creating a focused approach to improvement. In a 3 minute video, we can get all the information about you and your horse that we need to take you to the next progressive step. Giving you too many things to work on at one time leads to a breakdown in focus and has the potential to stall progress. Big improvements in seemingly small things leads to big improvements in big things.
A Reply. You will be receiving specially formatted video clip from Randy Byers. Your clip is designed for you to download to your portable video player (m4v) and take on your next ride. You will be able to refer to these videos during your ride. These video clips are subject to copyright laws and are expressly for you and we ask you not to distribute them to others. You may also review your video on your computer.
 Develop a plan for your horse. By consistently communicating with our team you will begin to develop a progressive plan for your horse that will help you on the road to achieving your goals. This is exactly how we advance our own horses. We work daily, monitor our progress and have a plan for how to progress from the point we were at yesterday.
Have fun. Don’t get too worried about trying to perform. You are among friends, we’re on the same team. Do your best to get us your videos and questions. We want you to enjoy being part of a group who wants you to succeed.
One of our goals for our team members is to teach you how to think like horseman. We want you to learn how to take charge of your training program. This is a place to share ideas. We will be challenging you to develop a functional thought process about how to achieve your training and riding goals with your horse. We’re here to give you the guidance you need to keep you on track.
 Shoot a lot of video. A lot of cell phones these days have video capability. We want to take advantage of the convenience of shooting video and sharing it using a piece of equipment you have with you all the time. When you're riding and think of something you’d like to improve on, shoot a video of it. If you’re having a problem with something, shoot a video. If you want to show us your progress on an exercise or maneuver then shoot a video. A poor quality video is better than no video. If the video won’t work for some reason we will contact you and ask you to reshoot. Randy Byers Horsemanship is all about simplicity. If you don’t want to send a video, then just ask a question we’ll answer. It is also ok to shoot video with other hand held video cameras.
Watch and edit your videos. If you have the capability you can send us video directly from your phone via email. Even so it will be good for you to watch yourself in a video. It is a great chance to become aware of habits, check progress or compare what you’re doing to one of our demos. When you are editing your videos keep in mind that we can pretty much figure out what we need to tell you about your riding and training in the first 1 minute or less. It will be more helpful to see you perform a maneuver in both directions than it would be to see additional minutes of the same maneuver in the same direction. Show us the schooling and the bad stuff. We’ve all been there and this isn’t a horse show, it is a learning experience. The more candid you are with your information the better equipped we will be to help.
It is important not to attempt to fix a problem without good advice. It is common to let the pressure to perform result in compounding a problem. Don’t worry about getting your maneuvers perfect for your video submission. Often times by seeing a problem area it will help us understand how best to address an issue and accelerate your advancement. Just relax and do your best. Professional guidance is key to improvement.
Videography is important. Whomever is holding the camera needs to feel like they have an important job even though it might just be a phone. Try to keep the camera steady and keep the action in frame. If your camera doesn’t have zoom capability then try to keep your horse closer to the action. For example, instead of loping a 100 ft. circle try making a 60 ft. circle. At the same time we don’t want you to over think things either. We have had great luck shooting video from the back of a horse. The important thing is to do your best and we’ll work with you.
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Horse Fairs & Expos.
Our Booth at Albany Horse Fair & Expo
 
Now that iHorseTrainer is finally available, we have rented booths and will make appearances at:
- Equine Affaire Columbus Ohio April 8th-11
- Midwest Horse Fair in Madison Wisconsin. April 15-18
- Western States Sacramento Ca. June 11-13th
Come by and say hi. 
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"iHorseTrainer" "Advanced Ground Training",
now there is an "App for That"! 
This mobile app is now $9.99 and is designed to take you to the next step in developing a stronger foundation; in order to prepare you and your horse for more advanced maneuvers under saddle.
This is an essential ground tool to give your horse bridle cues with contact to transfer under saddle. If you are missing these exercises, you will find that you will have major gaps in your ability to communicate with your horse. Randy will take you step by step through 21 different body control exercises, with helpful riding tips for both horse and rider. If you are looking to advance your horsemanship...follow these exercise and it will happen!
iHorseTrainer comes with 2 free videos and has 24 videos (120 minutes) at your finger tips if you need additional instructions at $1.99 each. Also included are 110 pages of text, and over 150 images
You will learn how to:
"Going Forward"
"Following the Nose"
"Disengaging Hips"
"Stopping"
"Back Up"
"Shoulders Over"
"Pivoting on Hips"
"Side Pass"
"Respect" comes from controlling the horse's feet. Horses will automatically give you their attention and respect when you become their leader by controlling their feet. "Bridle Work" in "iHorseTrainer" will reward and fix many problems of respect and improve the attention span of the horse if you follow this program.
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Confidence is Leadership in Action |
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